Cusco...finally!

August 7th
Erica and I finally arrived in Cusco today This morning we had
arrived at the airport at 3:50am in order to catch our 5:40am flight.
But there were unfavorable weather conditions and all flights to Cusco
were delayed. This place was a zoo. People everywhere, we were both
really tired, I had been sick that morning, plus there was loud
construction going on above us.

We finally boarded the plane around 945am. On the
airplane we made friends with a lady who resided in Lima and used to
work as a police officer. She only spoke Spanish but Erica and I
helped her with the settings on her camera. She took a picture of all
of us together on the plane, and we exchanged email addresses. She was
very nice and was proud to have her as our first Peruvian friend.

We arrived in Cusco, got our luggage, and to our
surprise there was already a taxi ready for us through the hotel my
mom had booked for us last minute. Right then and there we figured out
our itinerary for the next couple days and got decent rates. Our taxi
then took us to our hotel. It was wonderful driving through the city,
although all the stray dogs and puppies made me sad.

When we arrived we were served coca tea, to help
with the altitude, then went straight to the huge king size bed we had
waiting for us. We both took a long needed nap and finally awoke at
5pm. Now being well rested, we went outside and took a stroll through
the city. The main square was beautiful made up of many old cathedrals
and large buildings. There are people in the streets selling different
things everywhere. This area is very touristy. We finally found a
restaurant to eat at after a long search and the restaurant that had
no cheese… We both craved pizza and finally found a good place.

After dinner we went to a small market and bought a
few things, then made our way through a few shops. Both of us ended up
buying rings from a small shop. We then walked back to the hotel. Now
that we have experienced the weather here I am regretting the fact
that I did not bring a warm jacket. It is freezing and I am sure it
will be even colder at Manchu Picchu. Hopefully I can find a warm
jacket or sweater for a decent price, maybe some gloves as well.